A Tale Of Two Routes

Vernon, BC to West Kelowna, BC

August 7, 2015

By: Mark

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Vernon, BC to West Kelowna, BC

It was the best of routes, it was the worst of routes, there were roads with ample shoulders, there were roads with … well, actually … at one point there was no road at all. None. There was a trail. A walking trail. And apparently that’s close enough for Google to use in a bicycle route. But more on that later.

The road to Kelowna.

My day began where last night ended – which is a relief because otherwise I’m sure I would’ve been very confused when I woke up. But I wasn’t. Instead, I woke well rested and ready to take on the day. But first, there was breakfast. And what a great breakfast it was. There was an omelette. There were potatoes. There was toast. And there was a smoothy. I’m not going to lie, it was all great but the smoothy kind of stole the show. So good! And the feast didn’t end there. Glennis even made me some sandwiches for the road. The generosity of Warm Showers hosts never ceases to amaze.

Today’s ride was a very manageable 70 km with Kelowna being my goal. Spoiler alert: I made it. But it wasn’t without some effort. The ride from Glennis’ place back to the highway included a not-insignificant climb (as Glennis had warned). Once back on the highway, the climbing continued. It too was a steep climb but nothing I hadn’t coped with before. That said, it took some work and there was a lot of traffic so I wasn’t at all disappointed when I reached the exit for the Pelmewash Parkway – an old highway that travels along Wood Lake. This road was flat, very scenic, and was clear of most traffic. It was a much more enjoyable place to ride.

On a side note, being in B.C. means that I’ve found myself being passed by more than a few logging trucks. So far I haven’t had any issues with them not leaving enough room to pass and I have to say that a passing logging truck smells a lot more pleasant than a passing livestock truck. It’s like being passed by a giant air freshener (albeit full of dead trees).

Wood Lake

Of course, all good roads must come to an end and this was true of this one. Rather than get back onto the main highway, I followed Google’s suggested route which began on Pretty Rd. A road which very much lived up to its name. The views were pretty nice and the road was pretty @#$% steep. As usual though, I pushed on and powered through and eventually got myself back onto a less vertical road.

From there the ride into Kelowna was uneventful and, of course, beautiful with plenty of orchards to admire. Things got a bit more crowded as I arrived in town and followed the paths towards and along the beach. Following the beach path likely wasn’t a brilliant idea. Sure, it was beautiful but I really couldn’t look at the view as I think the entire population of Kelowna was also at the beach.

This was the “nice” part of the path.

After slowly navigating my way along the beach path and around the people, I eventually got myself onto the bridge which crosses over to West Kelowna (formerly Westbank). From there, Google took some liberties with its definition of a cycle path. And by “liberties” I mean Google put me on a trail that was clearly intended for walking or, at best, a mountain bike. With enough momentum I’m sure a mountain bike could’ve conquered the path – although, with the people walking on the trail there likely would be some carnage. It was a narrow trail and, as such, little room for passing. There were also some VERY steep sections which, given the weight of my bike and the lack of traction I could generate, I found myself pushing my bike up the path (while uttering some not-so-kind words at Google). I had flashbacks of my “hike” to the Teahouse in Lake Louise. Of course, that trail was never intended to be used by cyclists.

I eventually made my way back onto paved roads and, after a few more steep hills, I was back on a more cycle-friendly route to my final destination of the day. The destination in question was my aunt and uncle’s place. And it is the same place that was the final stop of my first cycle tour in 2010. In fact, it was almost five years ago to the day that I last arrived at their place. Missed it by four days!